Sunday, August 25, 2013

“Mandy, I wish…I could kiss you
right now…” the punk was deeply absorbed in her eyes….his grip had transformed
into an inflexible ligature by then.

I could sense her extent of
discomfort, “the gripe”; there was very little I could do.

But surprisingly, she didn't protest. Her
reaction was rather invigorating.

“Take it easy Mike”….She calmly
shoved him away as the waiter turned around the corner and gently served the Sauvignon–brimming-pair.
She looked beautiful, bathed in the reddish-yellow faded tinge…..

Well, then what was I doing
there?

Overhearing conversations could
be termed as licentious, but then, as far as I’m concerned, the essence of extricating
a stimulating series of random information is quite driving force. I wasn’t a
keen listener in my school days because of the simple fact that I wanted to be “different”
; I never wanted to replicate my nerdy classmates who paid attention just for
the sake of it. My report card had always invited a “red sparklet” adjacent to
the “response in the class” segment because I just wanted act “opposite” of the
general postulates; but then, I’d been perversely attracted towards the “inconsequential”
predicaments, “gorging” on them exultantly. Those bits and pieces of
information appeal to me more than anything else, I am in a committed
relationship with the sense of “incompleteness”, because that propels me…it
inspires me to hunt for those disjointed clues and merge them together to “synthesize
sense”. The concept of “snooping around” doesn't bear a negative implication in
my dictionary. Yes, I thrive on the principle of “Chaos having an underlying
order”…I have modified the phrase to suit my prodigious purpose!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Well then! Those posters would have been
trampled all along by the enthusiastic mob making way to the those stats and
figures that state “top-gross collection”, “record breaking box-office jackpot”
and other illustrious facts. I guess these multiplexes have run out of their “pop-corn”
supply over the last couple of weekends, but then Shoojit Sircar had perhaps
envisaged a “moral victory” harvesting on the trails of the so called “block-buster”
Chennai Express.

It was
a surprisingly deserted assembly at the Cinemax, Mani Square, on Saturday, 24th
August 2013…effectively, the very next day post the movie release. I guess, it’s
a gross misnomer to define it as a “movie”, “judicious documentation” would perhaps be the perfect terminology. I
have always been inclined towards an art-from that depicts the true face of
reality; Madras Café formulates an intransigent bridge between reality, its
related facts and the essence of fiction. These facts, unspoken to some extent,
portray the darkest side of the Indian political history…the thrilling delineation
of a “bureaucratic upheaval” did open up ends….it does unveil a “story” that
ripped through the Nation in the early 90’s.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Given a choice, what would you opt for? Ahem....no stress, we're pretty sure of the answer.

“Can I have a blue lagoon
please?” – The tall and lanky figure declared as he headed over to the “plugged
“bar close to the entrance. It was almost like the mad-rush in-front of a
certain Priya cinemas on the release date.

“White wine for me…” – and the crowd
hesitantly made way for the radiantly charming “Tolly-luminary”.

One thing was for sure, the die-hard
foodies did “re-fuel” themselves from time to time as the essence of worship-ping the “food-architects” loomed high! And when the “stars” illuminated the ‘private
galaxy’, it was pretty evident that the City of Joy was ready to relish the
coveted Gourmet Endeavor!

Well, the star-studded
enterprise on a “Khooni” Monday evening celebrating the ” The Telegraph Food
Guide Awards, 2013 ” at Galaxy, The Park Hotel did depict the “Flavor of Kolkata”
alright. The light-hearted atmosphere mingled with the touch of elegance and
varnished with the delectable aroma was perhaps a passionate foodie’s fervent
hunting ground. However the event that was aimed at gratifying an assortment of
talented “culinary artists”, did offer a LOT more than expected.

That's what magnetized us to the core...the perfect hunting ground for foodies....

We could sense the anticipation
in the crowd as Anupam Roy stepped on to the stage; it was perfectly a lyrical
start to the magnanimous event that harvested the nitty-gritty of food to its granular
level.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Well, the twitter trends did
suggest a mammoth throng…the expectation was insurmountable to compliment the
initial out-burst. The “lungi-dance”, as projected as a symbolic representation,
would perhaps send in an askew note…because the soul of the movie, as I managed
to comprehend, was embedded somewhere else.

Well, this is NOT really a
review of sorts, but I hereby present a set of disconnected statements which
when connected together, might sound conclusive. Let’s put ourselves in other’s
shoes for the time being and draw a cumulative conclusion.

“I clapped because I felt that
there was enough in the movie to keep us interested” – asserted the co-viewer. One
thing is for sure; “whatever it was”, the general feeling was that of a “paisa-vasool”!
Let’s explore.

“OMG, I can’t believe that SRK
is so fit and agile even in this age”- the 15 year old looked fascinated when the
“King” literally creamed the dance floor on the beats of 1, 2, 3. (Nope I’m not
referring to an envisaged guest appearance in the “Maduri-scorcher”). Yes she
rightly acknowledged SRK’s animated yet spirited show.

“She looks like a typical South
Indian damsel” – giggled the 35-ish lady sitting beside me. Deepika, you have
NO idea how big a compliment that is. It did certify that you ACTUALLY fitted
into the groove perfectly. I can’t dare to differ; a movie that has been fabricated
on the religion called “SRK-ism”, needed someone who could add that bit of
cushion…Deepika did brilliant, I feel.

“This language sounds cute, I even
managed to follow it in bits & pieces….*Proud*” – chucked a “cute” little
teenager during the interval (Don’t you feel the same pinch? Of course I was
skeptical). Yes, in-spite of its repetitive application, the language,
thankfully, didn’t appear “impermeable”.

“Heard that SRK did actually
carry Deepika in his arms and traversed those painful miles in an ascending
motion…” – My “information central” pal apprized. *Blah!* I have never paid
heed to those boring statistics. Nevertheless, these bits and pieces of
information do hold good in terms of authenticity.

“I can TELL you right now, how
this movie’s gonna end” –My nerdy associate seemed to have turned on his “predictive
mode”. Well, I couldn’t really disagree. There “had to be” a self-initiated head-on
jolt towards the end.

“But then, the ‘melodious representation’
was witty in its own way….sounded awkward, but it was fun…we relived good old
moments….”– My cousin made an attempt to divulge into details; he was stopped
midway by the grumpy 70 year old sitting right in-front of us. He was perhaps
making a thorough note of the “infinitesimal number of flaws” in Deepika’s
recently acquired accent or the disgrace propounded by the expression-less
Tamilian Don- inconsequential really, in the bigger scheme of things.

“Take me to the spot where the
Chennai Express halted midway” – The statement was an exhibit to Shomik’s coveted
paparazzo instinct. Indeed so; it’s amicable how they managed to dig out such unique
and exquisite locations in the Southern core. Even the village where the duo
halted mid-way was eye-candy to say the least. The music could have been better though.

“This is different and quite
refreshing after the likes of Raanjhanaa and Lootera”- The “lady in orange”
rightly pointed out. This film cannot be judged or compared on the scale of “depth
and finesse” or in the “hatke” terms. It is a indeed package of sorts-
entertainment, humor, comedy, love, subtle romance, bewilderment, impulsive “encounters”,
action, face-offs, “untimely realizations” and a moderately
happy-yet-predictable ending.

And well….”I think the soul of the
movie was in ‘its soul’ “- I felt like clapping on this one though. Yes, the
age-old “break-the-caste-and-religion-barrier” axiom seemed was the pivotal
perspective.

“This SRK has the glimmer of the
projection in Chaahat…young, exuberant and determined”…..I murmured to myself.
Yes I could compare the “intensity levels”; the climax did bring back memories of
his “comeback” after being brutally slaughtered by Nasseruddin Shah. No worries
SRK, we aren’t underestimating the power of a common man- You ain’t “common” by
any stretch of imagination though!

And focusing on the impact of
this movie, the under-lying Facebook update (from my friend's wall) rounds it off perfectly....

** Since I started with twitter, I guess, Rahul (SRK’s favorite on-screen name) ‘s grandpa has a twitter account too. Can anybody give me the handle-name? ;)

My Rating:

Story-line and script- 7/10

Acting-9/10

Camera-work- 8/10

Music-6/10

Overall- 7.5/10

Some of the reactions posted on the social media...the "journey" has INDEED gripped the nation in full throttle!

That's how the city of joy greeted the latest SRK dazzler.... (Courtesy - Twitter)..

The HOT-Cake (Poster)

And of course, SRK shouldn't be perturbed with such status updates; he must have booked a couple of flight tickets by now ;)

P.S. Do not forget to share your set of views in the comments section below....Much appreciated...

Thursday, August 8, 2013

-Well, things appeared to be slightly tricky when the "Weekend & Holiday" price listing was
unfurled...."Whom to select?"

There was a close call between Machan and Flame & Grill
on the bustling “Eid”; but then I guess we chose the right destination. A perfect
blend of the grilled enterprise combined with delectable main course scripted a
perfect start to the extended weekend. And
an expenditure of INR 1250/- odd for two seemed to be a worthy affair!

- Okay...I hereby switch over to the “Baatein Kaam….Picture Zaadaa…” mode; let these "slurrrpy" images do the talking....

You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.http://flic.kr/p/frJJRQ- Yogi Berra

A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite.http://flic.kr/p/frJNvY- Leo Tolstoy